‘“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”’ (v18) Isaiah 1:16–20
God can seem like a great idea, but an unrealisable aspiration. A sense that we are loved by the creator of our world touches our emotions, yet our minds tell us this is only an idle dream.
The Bible is full of God’s invitations to fractured humanity to step into His loving embrace. In the various pandemic lockdowns, many wrote of their sense of forlorn isolation. Some were driven to suicide, overwhelmed by a collapse in both confidence and any sense of belonging.
Life isn’t easy. It confronts us with insurmountable challenges; seasons when we wrestle with past ghosts, or gaze at ourselves only to see our ragged edges.
God recognizes that we can’t do anything for ourselves (John 15:5). But He has created a home of hospitality for all those at their wits’ end and desperately seeking fresh hope (Isa. 55:1).
Whilst such things might appear to defy reason, what if there was a God who was accessible and who wanted to support us in making our lives work? ‘Come let us reason together’, is God’s invitation to each one of us. It’s a simple conversation starter, and who hasn’t experienced a simple conversation leading to something we could never have imagined or anticipated?
The only reason we find ourselves on the Christian journey is because we responded to such an invitation. Yet, we are not part of an exclusive club. God is accessible to all. The point of departure is the moment we agree, often with many reservations, to take God at His word and start that conversation.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Job 22:21–30; Isa. 55:6–13; John 3:16–21; Col. 1:15–23.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: The question we all face is, what’s to be gained by seeking God’s friendship? The better question is, what do we have to lose? Respond to God’s invitation to talk things through.
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, please hear my voice and cleanse me from my sin. Amen.’
Photo by Federal reserve from flickr
